Ashwin spin makes it 2-0
Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 12 wickets in the match as India swamped South Africa by 124 runs with two days to spare in the third Test on Friday to clinch the series.
The Proteas, who resumed at 32-2 chasing a target of 310, folded up for 185 in their second innings after tea on the third day on a dusty, deteriorating pitch at the VCA stadium in Nagpur.
Off-spinner Ashwin followed his 5-32 in the first innings with 7-66 in the second to take his tally in the series to 24 wickets in five innings so far.
India had won the first Test in Mohali by 108 runs, while the second in Bangalore was washed out by rain after the opening day's play.
The fourth and final Test will be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi from December 3, with the hosts firm favourites to complete a 3-0 scoreline.
Proteas captain Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis put on the highest partnership in the Test of 72 runs, scoring 39 apiece, but no other batsman touched 20.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra removed both batsmen in the space of six deliveries just before tea, ending the resistance by the flat-footed tourists against the turning ball.
India have now won eight of their last nine Tests on home soil -- all inside three days -- having routed Australia 4-0 and the West Indies 2-0 in 2013 before taking the first and third Tests in the current series.
The defeat marked top-ranked South Africa's first series loss abroad in nine years after the 2-0 setback in Sri Lanka in 2006.
Indian captain Virat Kohli hailed Ashwin as the best spinner in the world and said he was pleased to win the series against the number one side in the world.
"Ashwin is a world-class spinner, probably the best in the world at the moment," said Kohli. "He is a very improved bowler and stepped up for us in a big way in this series.
“It is very pleasing to defeat South Africa, especially since they won both the Twenty20 and one-day series earlier. We played some very good cricket in all the three Tests."
Amla admitted it was a "difficult" wicket to bat on, but said his team had tried its best to adjust to the conditions.
“The pitch was a difficult factor, it was turning and bouncing whether it was the new ball or the old one," said Amla. "It was a hard game, but we are obviously very disappointed.”
SCORES IN BRIEF
INDIA: First innings 215
SOUTH AFRICA: First innings 79
INDIA: Second innings 173
SOUTH AFRICA: Second innings 185 all out (Elgar 18, Amla 39, Du Plessis 39, Duminy 19; Ashwin 7-66, Mishra 3-51)
Result: India won by 124 runs; lead four-match series 2-0.
Player-of-the-match: Ravichandran Ashwin.
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